Process of treating textile materials and product thereof



Patented Feb. 2, 1937 PROCESS OF TREATING TEXTILE MATE- mALs AND PRODUCT THEREOF Camille Dreyfus, New York, N. Y., and William Whitehead, Cumberland, Md.,

assignors to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application November 7, 1931, Serial No. 573,718. Renewed June 26, 1936 14 Claims. (Cl. 91.-68)

This invention'relates to the treatment of textile materials. such as yarns, filaments, fabrics and the like and relates more particularly to the treatment of textile materials containing organic derivatives of cellulose in order to improve their textile properties.

An object of our invention is to improve the properties of textile materials by incorporating therein a lower monohydric alcohol ester of a higher fatty acid. Other objects of this invention will appear from the following detailed description.

Often it is desirable to increase certain physical properties of textile materials such as wearing properties or scroop, or diminish undesirable properties such as tendency to slip, ladder, etc. We have found that if a lower monohydric alcohol ester of a higher fatty acid is incorporated in such textile material, particularly one containing cellulose acetate or other organic derivative of cellulose, such objects are attained.

{In accordance with our invention we incorporate in a textile material, particularly one containing an organic derivative of cellulose, a lower monohydric alcohol ester of a higher fatty acid.

The textile material to be treated in accordance with this invention may be in the form of yarns, filaments, artificial bristles or straw, or it may be a woven, knitted or netted fabric containing such yarns, filaments, straw or bristles.

The textile material treated by this invention preferably contains organic derivatives of cellulose such as organic esters of cellulose and cellulose ethers. Examples of such organic esters of 35 cellulose are cellulose acetate, cellulose formate,

cellulose butyrate, while examples of cellulose ethers are ethyl cellulose, methyl-cellulose and benzyl cellulose. However the textile material may be made of other fibres such as natural silk,

reconstituted cellulose; cotton, flax, wool, or it,

butyl ester of oleic acid may also be employed in our invention. i I

In one form of our invention, the inethylstear- .more of. these.

In another form of our invention, the methyl stearate and like fatty acid ester may be applied to a woven, knitted or netted fabric by dipping, spraying and the like.

In still another form of ourinvention, the monohydric alcohol ester of the fatty acid may be added to a spinning dope, such as a solution of cellulose acetate in acetone, from which the 'yarns, filaments and the like may -be formed by extrusion into a drying evaporating medium or into a liquid coagulating bath.

The methyl stearate and like ester may be applied to the yarn or fabric either in concentrated or pure form, or dissolved in a suitable solvent therefor or in the form of an emulsion.

Thus methyl stearate may be applied while dissolved in benzol to form solutions of 0.1 to 25% concentration. The methyl stearate may. be emulsified in aqueous solutions of soaps such as olive oil soap or triethanolamine oleate and the like to form emulsions of the same concentration. The methyl stearate or like ester is applied in amounts from 0.25 to 5%, preferably 0.5 to 2%, of the weight of the yarn or fabric.

Yarns, filaments, straw or bristles when treated in accordance with this invention have less tendency to slip than untreated material, and therefore firmer yarn packages, such as pirns, cones,

bobbins, cops, etc., may be formed from them.

Fabrics when treated in accordance with this invention, or when made from yarn treated in accordance with this invention, have many desirable properties. Such fabric has greater wearing properties, as much as 25% or more, than untreated fabric as shown by a rubbing test with the Wyzenbeek & Stafi precisiomwear test meter.

Such woven fabric has less tendencyto slip and such knitted fabric has less tendency to ladder than untreated fabric. does not tend to ravel as readily at cut edges as do untreated fabrics. Another further important advantage of this invention is that fabric containing the methyl stearate or like ester has an enormously increased screen, which is of im- Moreover such fabric portance for taffeta and like woven fabrics where scroop is desired.

In order further to illustrate our invention, but without being limited, the following specifi example is given.

Example A fabric of taffeta weave consisting wholly of yarns of cellulose acetate is impregnated with a solution of methyl stearate in benzene having a concentration of 0.5 to 2%, or an emulsion of methyl stearate in a solution of olive oil soap having a like concentration. The amount of liquor that the fabric is permitted to take up is such that the amount of methyl stearate remaining on the fabric is from 0.5 to 2% of the weight of the fabric. The fabric is then dried, either at atmospheric temperatures or at elevated temperatures, in a suitable manner.

The fabric so treated shows an increase of over in wearing properties as compared by friction tests with the untreated fabric, has an enormously increased scroop, and does not tend to slip or ravel as readily as the untreated fabric.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having described our invention, what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Process for the production of textile materials of improved properties, which comprises applying to textile materials, containing an organic derivative of cellulose, a preparation containing a-water-insoluble lower monohydric alcohol ester of a higher fatty acid and drying the textile materials while retaining said ester therein.

2. Process for the production of textile materials of improved properties, which comprises applying to textile materials, containing cellulose acetate, a preparation containing a water-in soluble lower monohydric alcohol ester of a higher fatty acid and drying the textile materials while retaining said ester therein.

3. Process for the production of textile materials of improved properties, which comprises applying to textile materials, containing cellulose acetate, a non-aqueous preparation containing a. water-insoluble lower monohydric alcohol ester of a higher fatty acid and drying the textile materials while retaining said ester therein.

4. Process for the production of textile materials of improved properties, which comprises applying to textile materials, containing cellulose acetate, an aqueous preparation containing a water-insoluble lower monohydric alcohol ester of a higher fatty acid and drying the textile materials while retaining said ester therein.

5. Process for the production of textile mate: rials of improved properties, which comprises applying to textile materials, containing an organic derivative of cellulose, a preparation containing a lower monohydric alcohol ester of stearic acid and drying the textile materials while retaining said ester therein.

. 6. Process for the production of textile materials of improved properties, which comprises applying to textile materials, containing an organic derivative of cellulose, a preparation containing a lower monohydric alcohol ester of palmitic acid and drying the textile materials while retaining said ester therein.

7. Process for the production of textile materials of improved properties, which comprises applying to textile materials, containing an organic derivative of cellulose, a preparation containing methyl stearate and drying the textile materials while retaining said methyl stearate therein.

8. Process for the production of yarn of improved properties, which comprises applying to yarn containing an organic derivative of cellulose, prior to its formation into a fabric, a preparation containing a water-insoluble lower monohydric alcohol ester of a higher fatty acid and drying said yarn while retaining said estertherein.

9. Process for the production of a fabric of improved properties, which comprises applying to a fabric, containing yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose, a preparation containing a waterinsoluble lower monohydric alcohol ester of a higher fatty acid and drying said fabric while retaining said ester therein.

10. Fabric comprising yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose having a water-insoluble lower monohydric alcohol. ester of a higher fatty acid incorporated therein in amount of 0.25 to 5%, whereby its wearing property is enhanced.

11. Fabric comprising yarns. of cellulose acetate having a water-insoluble lower monohydric alcohol ester of a higher fatty acid incorporated therein in amount of 0.25 to 5%, whereby its wearing property is enhanced.

12. Fabric comprising yarns of.cellulose acetate having methyl stearate incorporated therein in amount of 0.25 to 5%, whereby its wearing property is enhanced.

13. Textile materials of improved properties containing an organic defivative of cellulose, said materials having incorporated therein a waterinsoluble lower monohydric alcohol ester of a higher fatty acid in amount of 0.25 to 5%, and being substantially free from water in excess of that retained by the materials when exposed to the atmosphere.

14. Textile materials of improved properties containing cellulose acetate, said materials having incorporated therein methyl stearate in amount of 0.25 to 5% and being substantially free from water in excess of that retained by the materials when exposed to the atmosphere.

CAMIILE DREYFUS. WILLIAM WHITEH EAD. 

